Having just passed our first anniversary since launching the website back on 1 September 2025, I thought it would be a good time to look back as a checkpoint on the progress we've made this year. A bit of a feature spotlight from this year to kick things off.
Artist Page
Each artist has their own focus page, which collates each of their artworks currently published on Street Art NSW. Pages will include a short description, some branding elements, links to relevant sites, and a summary of tags used sitewide that describe their usual subject matter. Below is a collection of each of their artworks, which are filterable by whether they were done individually or as part of a collaboration, and by location and/or year.
Festival/Project Page
Appearing in the Explore pages, each individual festival and/or project will have their own page. It will also be filterable by year and location, especially if the festival has had multiple instances such as the Wall to Wall Festival or The Big Picture Fest, which has been run in differing states, cities and years. The page has similar features to the artist page, but will also include a map overview.
Trail Page
Also within the Explore pages, curated trails are now available on the website. These may be based on existing festivals or projects or trails curated by organisations such as local councils or tourism operators. Trails will include the primary source if available, alongside navigation links via Google Maps (which can be toggled by the transport mode used), and the sequence of artworks within the trail. There are currently 5 trails available to explore within various places. We hope this will be a useful feature which we can expand to curious hunters or seasoned street art tour guides.
Draft System
As mentioned in the last post, the map has been updated to include filters for draft artworks, that is, those that haven't yet been documented but have been scouted from an artist's post or feed. These appear as outlines that group independently from established artworks in the solid cluster groups. Although the map does still look rather empty from the last screenshot, features such as the Quick Add system and helpers such as location-based navigations will accelerate the filling of this map.
Some Statistics
Since wiring up the site to Google Analytics, as well as some internal analytics in mid-February:
- Total documented works on Street Art NSW is currently 5,553 artworks
- Total page visits for each artwork have reached 6,300 views (~32 views per day)
- Total active users overall have reached 240 users
- The most popular artworks are Island Boys by Scott Marsh, Thirrilmun by Adnate (removed) with 19 views each, followed by Dog Had Its Day by Elbows with 18 views.
- The most popular day was August 12, with 300 views
- The most documented artist is Reubszz with 59 artworks
Moving Forward
Working independently across the bulk of the programming, artwork uploads and documentation, managing all of this alone is no mean feat. However, there is a bright and vibrant horizon ahead and I'm committed to progressing this project onward, seeking more support and collaboration with organisations, other street art enthusiasts, and of course yourself.
From the original launch blog post, our goals still remain the same. Boosting Sydney's reputation as a street art hotspot, building out and completing New South Wales' street art map, increasing the representation of interior and hidden artworks, branching out interstate and soon to the Pacific Islands, and finally boosting our international presence in Asia. While significant work still needs to be done, momentum has been steady.
Street Art NSW's priorities in the near term are:
- Catalogue the majority of New South Wales and all Australian capital cities by the end of 2027,
- Build a user account system allowing for sign-ups and personalised experiences, such as a favourites and marking system,
- Enhance the visitor experience by building a landing page, and guidance documentation on how to navigate and contribute,
- Increase artwork coverage using community/crowdsourced photo submissions and cataloguing,
- Foster ongoing and public outreach, including placemaking value and digital tourism content, alongside settling on our front-facing brand, and
- Formalise governance and medium-term planning, including establishing Street Art NSW's organisational structure.
Appreciation
I'd like to extend my thanks and gratitude to several people this year for their involvement and contributions towards Street Art NSW:
- Josh (@manapirate) and Jack Mercieca (@jack_mercieca), who jumpstarted my year right and strong;
- Jack Wei (@zenli_personal), who helped guide artistic direction and forward planning;
- Jason Thai (@jaicyotes), who gave valuable insight and organised a round of UI/UX testing and development;
- Andrew Haysom (@haysomandrew), Australia Country Manager of Street Art Cities, for your excellent advice;
- To the many artists I've interacted with, whether it's via Instagram or crossing paths in person, thank you for making the world that bit more colourful, entertaining, or interesting, one spray or paint stroke at a time;
- To the faithful followers who interact with our semi-daily posts and entertaining conversations, special shoutout to Tricia (@cyclingwithtricia), Elise (@elisef03_streetartlove), Leah (@adelightedlife5), Christine (@christinewhyte) and Biin (@artbybiin);
- And last but not least, to my mom and aunty, my biggest supporters in pursuing this project and appreciating these creative endeavours. Accompanying me on endless street art hunts in many cities overseas and across Australia, and for the great company on the road trips in-between. Thank you for your unconditional love and unwavering support.
To a warm and inspiration-filled, yet safe second year.
jxrdan